A literature review of antibiotic use in food animals and its effect on humans with a proposal for policy reform

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year at least two million people acquire infections from antibiotic resistant bacteria and more than 23,000 of these individuals die due to these infections. While there are numerous studies regarding antibiotic resistance in humans, few are focused specifically on the connection between antibiotic use in food animals and poor human health outcomes. This paper reviews and summarizes literature and public information currently available as well as legal measures in place to mitigate the threat of resistance due to consumption of food animals contaminated with antibiotic resistant bacteria. Regulation and monitoring of appropriate antibiotic use in food animal production is of high public health importance to improve human health, reduce medical costs to those in need of antibiotic resistance therapy, and reduce risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria infections in humans